No Light, No Light
by greatgatsbyfan
Summary: When Ivy finds herself in the world of one of her favorite characters, she is left with a choice. Does she let the story play out for itself, or does she attempt to save a man she knows could never love her the way he loves another? Currently rated T but may be changed to M in later chapters. Gatsby/OC
1. Prologue

No Light, No Light

Prologue

Sleep was next to impossible for Ivy. Whether it was the sound of traffic from the streets of New York below her or the incessant beeping from the damned machine she was hooked up to, it was simply too loud for her to rest.

She didn't know why they bothered to keep her on her medication. The cancer had already won, the doctor had said. The best they could do was ease her pain as she let a man in a heavy cloak lead her away from this life. But her mother had insisted.

And her mother had the money, so the doctors agreed.

Ivy pressed what she affectionately called her handy-dandy summoner and waited. A few minutes later Nurse Ben entered, a warm smile on his face.

"Hey, Ivy," he said, "What do you need?"

"Could you turn on...the lamp for me? Please?" Ivy asked, "I can't sleep. It's too difficult to...do myself."

"Sure thing," Ben replied, walking over to the old lamp that, if the pain Ivy was in hadn't reached into her very bones, she would have easily been able to turn on with a flick of the wrist. "Do you want me to read to you again?"

"Yes. Please."

"Hemingway, Twain or Fitzgerald?"

"You r-really have to ask?" Ivy replied, nodding to her worn copy of _The Great Gatsby_. The last twenty pages were held within the book by a piece of tape and sheer willpower.

"What's your level?" Ben asked, looking over Ivy's chart to see when she'd last received a painkiller.

"Twelve." Ivy sighed, blinking away a thin layer of tears. She'd already cried so much, it was pointless to do so now. "I just...want it...to be over."

"I know, sweetheart." Ben looked like he wanted to reach over and pat her hand, but the both knew it would only hurt her more than help her. He opened the book to where he'd left off last, and Ivy smiled. Ben's voice overpowered the blaring of the occasional horn in the streets below as he read words to her she'd already memorized, described parties she'd never been to, but could imagine for herself and a blinking green light across the bay.

She was there now, even. Gliding across the water toward the green light, her slowing heartbeats matching the gradually slowing movement of the light at the end of Daisy Buchanan's dock. Ben's worried voice felt like water splashing against her feet, and as her heart slowed to a stop she smiled and let the green light consume her.


	2. Chapter One

No Light, No Light

Chapter One

"Wake up, Ivy. We're here."

Ivy awoke to a hand shaking her shoulder. She flinched, on instinct, but found that the contact didn't pain her as it normally did. She opened her eyes and turned to the hand, ready to tell Ben to leave her alone and let her sleep, when she saw a man with green eyes instead of brown.

"W-what?" She asked. She blinked and shook her head, wondering if she was having one of those strange dream-within-a-dream moments. After all, why would she be in a car and not a hospital bed? Why would she wake up to this stranger and not Ben, or one of the other nurses assigned to her room?

"I said wake up, Ivy. We don't want to keep Daisy and Tom waiting."

Ivy looked outside the car window, taking in the red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion described in her favorite novel. She turned her gaze back to the stranger sitting opposite her in the car.

"Nick?" Ivy said confusedly.

"Ivy?" Nick replied jokingly.

"Why are we here again?" She asked.

Nick sighed. "I know you're not a big fan of the Buchanan's, Ivy, but they're our cousins and it would be rude not to accept their invitation to dinner."

"Daisy is ridiculous," Ivy said on impulse, "And Tom is a misogynistic brute."

"Ivy, remember what father always says."

"'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages you've had,'" she quoted, looking at her lap as her eyes went wide. No matter how much of a fan she'd been of _The Great Gatsby, _she'd never actually dreamed herself into the novel before.

"Exactly," Nick replied, "So it's better not to place judgment so readily. Give them time; they'll grow on you."

"I highly doubt that," Ivy muttered under her breath.

Nick walked around the car and opened the door for her, playing the gentleman as he helped her out of the car. She wasn't sure if that was appropriate, as she was pretty sure Nick was a relative of hers, possibly her brother by his insinuations. Then again, he could have just been raised to treat all women with this level of kindness, be they his relative or not.

Tom Buchanan, or the man Ivy assumed was Tom Buchanan, stood on the front porch with his legs apart, as if he were posing to be the next Superman. He spoke to Nick for a few minutes, only taking a moment to acknowledge Ivy's presence with a kiss on the hand and a cocky smirk. He seemed more concerned with showing off his wealth than exchanging pleasantries.

They were eventually led inside to enjoy the company of Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker. Ivy would look away and purse her lips every few minutes, unable to stop the dislike she felt for her current company appearing on her face as they talked about pointless things. She bit the inside of her cheek at Daisy and Jordan's attempts to make themselves look more appealing to the men in the room, be it from the way they moved to their attempts at making witty remarks.

She drowned out the majority of the conversation, until Daisy reached over to her and patted her hand during dinner. "And how are you, my darling," she asked, "I heard about what happened with Joseph."

Ivy stiffened. She hadn't heard that name in months, not since she was diagnosed. It was her own voice that said it, begging him not to leave her when she needed him the most. A time when he didn't want to be known as someone dating a dying girl.

Tom snorted, "That's what happens when a girl gives herself away too soon. No respectable girl would-"

"Just what are you insinuating, Mr. Buchanan?" Ivy retorted, "I never 'gave myself' away, sir. If you start point a finger at other people, be ready to acknowledge the three that are pointing back at you."

"Ivy!" Nick said as Tom's nostrils flared. Nick laughed nervously, turning to Daisy with a tense smile, "You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy. Can't you talk about crops or something?"

And off Tom went again, talking about something else that made Ivy want to slap him across the face. At least the topic wasn't on herself, though she did want to know what Daisy had heard about Joseph.

Later, after the telephone debacle and Nick's attempts to speak with Jordan, Ivy found a moment to speak with Daisy alone.

"Daisy," Ivy asked, "What did you hear about Joseph and myself?"

"Oh, sweetie," Daisy said, "Nicky was the one who told me. You shouldn't have locked yourself away like that when you received the letter, darling. All of us were just so deeply worried about you. I know you loved him, but nothing could have stopped him from joining the war."

"Oh," Ivy sighed. She didn't know her subconscious would kill him off; that didn't sound right.

"It's been years, darling. It's time to move on. Oh, I know!" Daisy exclaimed, "I'll help you find a new man!"

"No, Daisy. No, no, no, that's not necessary."

"Oh, don't protest so much, Ivy! I'll introduce you to the most eligible bachelors in the city." Her face took on a slightly more serious tone to it. "You know, if it eases your mind... I was in love once. Before Tom, I mean."

"Oh? What happened."

"Like Joseph, he went to join the war. He came back, eventually, but we couldn't be together. I'd married Tom by then and I'd moved on."

Ivy stared at her. "Why didn't you wait for him?" The question that she had longed to ask finally came forth. Though Daisy didn't know it, Ivy knew exactly who she was talking about. She was pretty sure that she and Nick were living next door to him at that moment.

Daisy sighed. "I was becoming a burden on my parents. I needed to be taken care of, and Tom was there. He carried me to keep my feet from getting wet, he made me laugh. He took care of me. I couldn't wait for Jay, no matter how much I may have wanted to. I fell in love with Tom." Her eyes became haunted as she stared across the lawn, back to the house where Tom and Nick were no doubt smoking cigars and arranging a date to meet at the Yale club.

Ivy stared opposite Daisy, her eyes lingering on the green light at the end of her "cousin's" dock before gliding across the bay toward Gatsby's mansion.

Ivy and Nick left after he and Daisy had their own private conversation. They arrived at the little cottage beside Gatsby's mansion. Nick waited a moment, but Ivy didn't spare the car another thought as she shot out of the vehicle and strode toward the beach, telling Nick that she would be inside in just a few minutes.

When she reached the beach she toed off her shoes and let the gentle ripples of the water caress her feet. She looked up at the night sky and sighed, glad to finally be out in the open. The moonlight reflected off of the dark waters, and Ivy risked a glance down and gasped.

She had hair. She had felt it on her head while at the Buchanan's, but she hadn't looked at herself in all the time she spent in this beautiful world. It was just as she'd had it before the chemo stole it from her; long, brown and wavy. It framed her oval face in a complimentary way, and it felt soft beneath her fingers. She felt tears spring into her green eyes as she stared at herself.

She lifted her gaze and stared at the green light across the bay, somehow knowing that it was the reason she had such a small miracle back, if only for a little while.

She didn't need to look to her right to know Gatsby was looking at the same green light, wishing that the same green light could somehow make his dreams come true.


End file.
